Biography

Pavel Payano graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 2006. As President of the UMass Amherst – Student Government Association (SGA) he focused the SGA’s efforts to make higher education more affordable and accessible to the middle and working class.

After graduation he became the Outreach Director of the Massachusetts Democratic Party. He served in this role until 2007 when he joined the staff of Congresswoman Tsongas becoming her Special Assistant and Immigration Specialist.

In June 2011 he graduated from the University of Massachusetts Boston with a Masters of Science in Public Affairs. Mr. Payano is an active member of the Lawrence community; in 2010 he co-founded the Greater Lawrence Young Professionals Network, an organization that seeks to attract, retain, and engage young professionals in the area. His passion for education led him to get elected into the Lawrence School Committee where he now serves as Vice Chair.

Since his role at the Massachusetts Democratic Party he has kept involved in organizing and promoting Democratic values. In 2008 he was Co-Director of President Barack Obama’s New Hampshire Latino’s Campaign & Field Director for 1 of 2 HQs in Nashua, NH. He was recently elected as a pledged Barack Obama delegate to the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

He is currently employed by the University of Massachusetts Lowell as Program Manager of the Sandbox Leadership Institute. In the fall of 2012 he plans to continue his education at Suffolk School of Law.